Analysis of Blood Supply Chain Barriers Using TOPSIS-ISM-MICMAC: A Study of the Vidarbha Region, Maharashtra, India

Efficient blood supply chain (BSC) management is crucial for treating sickle cell patients, particularly in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, India.Vidarbha is a region with a high prevalence of sickle cell disease, especially among tribal and socio-economically disadvantaged communities, making it a critical area for focused research.This study evaluates and prioritizes the barriers affecting the BSC using a multicriteria decision-making approach.Social, logistical, technological, and organizational problems are considered for grouping challenges.The research uses the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), which was applied with inputs from domain experts to rank categories.The factors are rated based on how important they are in each area.Each group has a global weight.By integrating local weights for each barrier within the group into the global weight of the category, a comprehensive ranking is done for each barrier.Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) was also used to analyze the top ten hurdles that were linked to each other.Using the data collected, critical challenges have been uncovered.These include inadequate blood donation sites (SB2), Regulatory compliance (SB10), Demand forecasting errors (LB2), storage and shelf life (LB1), Geographic accessibility (LB9), and lack of innovation and research (TB1).Using Cross-Impact Matrix Multiplication Applied to Classification (MICMAC) analysis, these barriers were classified based on their driving and dependence power, highlighting their critical influence on supply chain efficiency.The study's findings can aid healthcare organizations and policymakers in formulating targeted strategies to enhance BSC and patient health..